Kagisano Sylvester Molawa, a two-time Sol Plaatje University Alumnus rose above all adversities as he obtained a Turkish scholarship in 2022 while pursuing a Master of Science degree with the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal.
Molawa hails from Deeward a remote part of Kuruman in the Northern Cape. In a Facebook post dated November 23, 2021, Molawa indicated that he matriculated in 2016 at Gabodidiwe High School in Taung while living with relatives.
“I applied to universities the same year that I finished matric, and I was still interested in pursuing Civil Engineering. One of the universities that accepted me for that course was the University of the Free State (UFS) in 2017” he wrote.
Molawa added that due to a lack of finances and his parent’s inability to pay for [his] tuition, he was forced to decline the offer after knocking on many doors in search of funds or financial assistance.
“In 2017, I took a gap year and stayed at home. This was one of the most difficult and painful periods of my life” he said. In Molawa’s Facebook post, he explains that all his peers with whom he matriculated was heading to college or university.
“The most upsetting aspect was that everybody knew that I passed matric with good marks but was now sitting at home. I heard a lot of stories from people around me, including family members” he added.
He further explained that every time he passed, he was questioned about why he isn’t applying for jobs because he knows that university is expensive, and that his mother could not afford to pay his tuition.
During the same year, Molawa applied for admission to study Data Science at Sol Plaatje University, he explains that the year concluded without the university responding to his application. The young man who now holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Kwa Zulu Natal said that he was more hurt than ever before as he learned about Sol Plaatje University’s re-opening in January 2018 while his application was yet to be responded to.
“I clearly recall telling my mother that I was going to Kimberley. I didn’t have a single cent at that time, however, I managed to gather R200 for transportation” he added.
Molawa further narrates that he went to Sol Plaatje University on a Friday to inquire about his application. He adds that he didn’t know anyone in Kimberley at that time, and that he did not have any funds to return to his home in Kuruman.
“When I arrived in Kimberley, I was informed that some of my paperwork was missing despite having all the required documentation when I applied. I turned in the paperwork, however, because it was a Friday, I had to wait until the next week for a response to my application” he explained.
The now MSc graduand said that going home was not an option as he was only left with R50 from the R200 that he had for transportation. Molawa used the R50 to buy food and for his safety, he decided to go sleep at the police station where he certified his documents during the day.
“When my mother called [me], she was devasted to hear that I would be sleeping on a seat inside a police station. She felt that she has failed me as a parent, yet I slept peacefully at the police station” Molawa explains.
One of Molawa’s friends arranged that he stays with college friends for the weekend. Sol Plaatje University accepted Molawa for the three-year Data Sciences program the following Monday.
He explains that on the day, he was both sad and excited as he has a place to stay, “with consultations around campus, I met the then SRC who directed me to the residence manager, who after I explained my predicament to him placed me in a residence the week before the residence officially opened.”
Molawa’s financial struggles
In 2018, Molawa started his first year at Sol Plaatje University in 2018. He says that it was never easy as he sometimes run out of bath soap, as a result all he could do was shower with water, apply ‘dawn’, and roll-on, and then go to class.
The young man recalls having only one pair of shoes for almost a year. “Things improved in 2019 during my second year when I applied to be a peer mentor, where I was paid R 1,000.00 monthly. In addition, NSFAS started distributing allowances” he added.
Molawa’s financial issues were resolved for the remainder of 2019, and he has never had any financial issues as he could make do with what he had.Molawa explains that “despite all the [adversaries], I was able to complete my BSc in Data Science qualification in record time and was accepted for an honors degree in 2021.
I am also grateful for Sol Plaatje University students for providing me the opportunity to lead them for two consecutive terms.” He served as 2019/20 SRC Deputy President and 2020/21 SRC Transformation and Student Development Officer, this after standing for elections as an Independent Candidate.
After successfully completing his Bachelor of Science (Honors) degree, in 2022 Molawa enrolled for the Master of Science degree at the University of Kwa Zulu Natal.
He later also received a Turkish scholarship. On 06 January 2023, Molawa received a letter from the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science at the University of Kwazulu-Natal informing him that his dissertation titled “Enhanced deep learning-based face mask detection and social distance monitoring system for Covid-19” has been accepted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science in Computer Science degree in the institution’s School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science.
Kagisano excels in his degree
Molawa’s degree was awarded with a final mark of 74%. Molawa says that he managed to complete his degree in five months by praying hard, working hard, and studying almost every day, he stopped being around and prioritized his studies, and he made it a point to cross night and work on his schoolwork during weekends.
“I distanced myself from a lot of friends so that I can focus, and I had timelines and schedules that guides me to check whether I am progressing” he added.
Molawa said that he used every opportunity that he could get to present his work while people would ask questions, and make contributions, at some point, he would ask to present or narrate his work in any research meetings.
It has never been Molawa’s plan to pursue a degree at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, his ambition was to study at the University of Johannesburg or WITS University. “Today, I am happy with what I am doing, the reason for this is because I do not allow my ambitions to lead me. As much as I have ambitions, when I make decisions, I make decisions that are in line with my capabilities” he adds.
Molawa explains that “I never anticipated that I would end up at Sol Plaatje University, my ambition was to be at UFS, UCT and/or CPUT. In addition, I never intended on studying data or computer science, my ambition was to study Civil Engineering. In fact, I never knew about data science until I took a gap year and made research about courses.”
The MSc graduand and PhD candidate advises others to start recognizing and acknowledging their capabilities, he says that not doing or following one’s heart at times does not mean that you have failed, especially if you are following your capabilities.
Despite coming from an underprivileged household, Molawa never let his upbringing determine his destiny. He says “yes, it was difficult, but giving up was never an option. If you give up because you are hungry now, won’t you still be hungry tomorrow and have nothing to eat? As a result, keep working hard so that you will have enough to eat for the rest of your life in the following year or years.”
Molawa’s Facebook page, Ultimate Dr Molawa, has eleven thousand likes and sixteen thousand followers. His followers celebrated his MSc, Data Science, with him. In a post where Molawa shared his qualification award letter, one of his followers, Thutho Khumo Mabilo commented by congratulating Molawa and said that “every time the going gets tough, I just come here, and you make me feel better. You’ve proved that everything is possible [when] you put your mind to it. I’m in awe”.
